TV3 will oppose UTV Irish licence

BAI chairman Bob Collins says the move by UTV has revealed unfair anomalies in the law

TV3 is mounting a campaign opposing the plans by UTV to launch a dedicated channel for the television market in the republic.

The Sunday Times has learnt that TV3 has already voiced grave concerns with the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) over UTV's application for an Irish television licence. The broadcaster is seeking clarity from the BAI on what it claims is a loophole in the legislation that may allow UTV to be licensed here while escaping the obligations placed on TV3 and RTE.

A decision on the application could be finalised within the next six to eight weeks. Industry sources said that TV3 is arguing that the proposed UTV Ireland should be regarded as an opt-out channel, and should be governed by the British regulator.

A growing number of British stations such as E4 and Channel 4 sell Irish ads on their feeds into Ireland, known as opt-outs. An